Art Therapy and CBT with Certified Art Therapist Erin Kirkpatrick, MA, ATR, LPC of Compassionate Counseling St. Louis

Erin Kirkpatrick, MA, ATR, LPC

The word is out! Erin Kirkpatrick, MA, ATR, LPC has returned to Compassionate Counseling St. Louis and we could not be more thrilled!

Erin is a Certified Art Therapist and brings a wealth of knowledge with her to the therapy room.

Today we wanted to give you the opportunity to learn more from Erin about Art Therapy, how it works with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and how it could help your child.

How do you combine art therapy and CBT techniques?

Art therapy in itself is a wonderful form of psychotherapy to encourage free expression, and when combined with CBT, it provides clients with a more personalized, expressive approach to therapy. 

While CBT explores negative patterns of thought to address mental health issues like anxiety or depression, sometimes clients simply don't have the straightforward words to express these thoughts. Art therapy can be useful combined with CBT to express those thoughts and feelings that words simply cannot express. 

Making art is also fun, and I find that kids typically prefer it to run-of-the-mill counseling worksheets. So, while we are in the therapy room processing and exploring feelings, we are also using art as an effective coping tool that they can "take with them" after their session to calm feelings of anxiety. 

What is one of your favorite CBT tools to use with Art therapy?

I love introducing using the Thought-Feeling-Behavior CBT triangle in sessions with clients to help them explore intrapersonal connections. We look at and discuss the triangle, but then use art media like watercolor painting, clay, collage and comic illustration to explore each element of the triangle.

Describing how anger and anxiety feels through texture, brushstrokes, and color can be very helpful in processing these feelings.  Deciding how you would characterize an intrusive thought using shapes and colors can also be very helpful. Also using artwork to explore reframing these negative thought patterns proves to be a very effective approach to CBT.   

I also enjoy using the Window of Tolerance combined with art therapy to explore a client's triggers and coping skills in an expressive, visual way. Art and creative expression is, afterall, often the language of children!  

In what ways does art-making help a client gain insight into the thoughts, emotions, or behaviors? 

One of the scariest things about anxiety for many clients, especially children, is trying to explain how it feels in words. Without being able to adequately express these feelings, one can feel increasingly anxious and isolated.

By using creative expression to process thoughts and feelings, art therapy provides clients with an opportunity to explore and externalize feelings in a way that might not feel so overwhelming or scary. 

By engaging in creative expression in the therapy room, clients can explore their inner world and gain deeper insights into who they are. From there, they can identify strengths, areas of improvement and ways to cope . Once these inner feelings are processed, the "fight or flight" response that is often attributed to anxiety can diminish and things can start to feel more manageable. 

How do you tailor the combination of CBT and Art Therapy to different clients' needs?  

While I have a lot of experience and training in CBT, my approach is very relational and client-centered. In the therapy room, I attune to my individual client's needs, creating a "tailor-fit" approach to our sessions.

I often rely a lot on my client's interests and preferred modes of expression to steer our sessions in terms of art therapy techniques. For example, if a young client is really interested in Harry Potter, we might create magic wands that magically expel intrusive thoughts.  I use the client's own interests to create projects that will naturally allow them to tell their own story. 

Interested in Art Therapy?

If you’re interested in art therapy with Erin, you can schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation right here! This call will also give us a chance to hear from you about what’s been going on, walk you through our session structure and figure out the best therapist to pair you with (Erin, or one of our other awesome therapists).

Curious to learn more about Art Therapy, anxiety and anxiety-driven anger? Wondering if art therapy at Compassionate Counseling St. Louis could be a good fit for you or your child? Reach out to us at hello@compassionatecounselingstl.com. As child anxiety experts, we love working with kids, teens, college students and parents to help manage their anxiety, stress, and anger. Compassionate Counseling St. Louis is located in Clayton, MO and works with families by offering both in-person counseling and online therapy throughout St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Ladue, University City, Town and Country, Webster Groves, Creve Couer, Kirkwood, Richmond Heights, and Brentwood. We also provide online therapy Missouri -wide to teens and college students. You can set up your first free consult on this website, on our consultation page.